The Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) has identified approximately 40 buildings near the shore as highly hazardous in anticipation of the approaching storm Biparjoy, set to hit Karachi’s coastline. The evacuation process for these risky buildings is expected to be completed by Monday, according to ARY News.
The Director-General of SBCA announced the establishment of a rain emergency control room at the SBCA office, with officers and staff members on high alert in all divisions of Karachi. To ensure public safety, the SBCA has advised citizens not to park their vehicles near these dangerous buildings.
Officials from the SBCA revealed that a total of 450 buildings in the Karachi division have already been identified as hazardous, emphasizing the need for precautionary measures.
Cyclone Biparjoy, classified as an extremely severe cyclonic storm, has intensified over the east-central Arabian Sea and is predicted to make landfall near the south-southeast coast of Sindh and India’s Gujarat coast. The exact location of landfall will become clearer in the coming days.
As of the latest update from the cyclone warning center of the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), Cyclone Biparjoy is positioned approximately 600km south of Karachi, 580km south of Thatta, and 710km southeast of Ormara. The maximum sustained surface winds are recorded at 160-180 Km/hour, with gusts reaching 200 Km/hour around the center of the system. Sea conditions are reported to be very rough, with maximum wave heights of 35-40 feet.
According to the meteorological office, based on current upper-level steering winds, Cyclone Biparjoy is expected to move further northward until the morning of June 14, then recurve northeastward. It is projected to cross between Keti Bandar in Southeast Sindh and the Indian Gujarat coast on the afternoon of June 15 as a Very Severe Cyclonic Storm (VSCS).